Nanchang, capital of Jiangxi province, has been a prosperous cultural city south of the Yangtze River for 2,190 years. Poet Wang Bo (649-676) of the Tang Dynasty described it in the "Preface to Tengwang Tower" as a place "boasting rich resources and people of talents". With an area of 7,402 square kilometers and a population of 3. 45 million, the city has jurisdiction over five prefectures and four counties.

    On the southwestern shore of Poyang Lake, China's Largest fresh -water lake, the city has four distinct seasons and a pleasant climate. In the city proper there are the ancient Shengjin Pagoda, Ruzi Pavilion , Shui Guan Yin Pavilion and East, South, West and North Lakes. Three Rivers -- Ganjiang, Fuhe and Jinjiang, flow through the city. Mt. Meiling, known as "small Lushan Mountain", lies in the west suburb of Nangchang and southwest of Poyang Lake. Streams meander among deep gorges and beautiful peaks, making Mt. Meiling an ideal summer resort. Lushan Mountain rise majestically to the north of Nanchang city. Qingyunpu, first a Taoist temple over 1,000 years ago, obtained its present name in 1661 when Zhu Da (Ba Da Shan Ren) went to live there. Zhu Da was a descendent of the tenth generation of Zhu Yuanzhang, founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Zhu Da developed a school of freehand brushwork in traditional Chinese painting an became an outstanding painter and Taoism believer. His paintings are on display in Qingyunpu.

    About 10,000 rare birds including white cranes, storks and swans winter on the Nanjishan Island in Poyang Lake, 60 kilometers away from the city proper. The Tengwang Tower, the number one of the three famous towers south of the Yangtze River, was built on the city wall in 653 when Li Yuanying, son of Li Yuan, Emperor Gao Zu of the Tang Dynasty was military governor there. The tower, overlooking the Ganjiang River and facing the Western Hills, is double- evade structure with painted beams and vermilion windows. From the tower one can see the glorious sunset and wild ducks, the water and sky joining in the far horizon. Visitors to the tower in history include Tang poet Bai Juyi, writer Du Mu, Northern Song (960- 1127) statesman, writer and philosopher Wang Anshi, writer Zeng Gong, writer and historian Ouyangxiu, writer Wen Tianxiang, philosopher and educator Zhu Xi and poet Xin Qiji. They all have left writings eulogizing the Tengwang Tower.

    The Tengwang Tower is in the style of the Song Dynasty. The 54.4- meter- high tower consists of three open stories and six hidden stories. The glazed tiles, gilded double eaves, carved screens and vermilion corridor columns produce an effect of archaic simplicity and elegance. Outside the pavilion are courtyards, rockeries, terraces, pavilions and a lotus pond, covering an area of 40,000 square meters. It receives visitors with splendor.

    Nanchang is a heroic city. In 1927, Zhou Enlai, Zhu De and He Long led the August 1 Nanchang Uprising to begin an army of the Chinese Communist Party. The Jiangxi Hotel, the headquarters of the uprising, is now a museum.

    Nanchang, Lushan, Mountaina, and Jingdezhen, a town famed for porcelain production, form a "gold triangle" of tourism in Jiangxi province for their fantastic natural and man-made landscape.

    Flat and fertile soil and many rivers and lakes make Nanchang one of China's leading commodity grain-producing bases. The area also produces a great variety of fresh-water fish such as catfish in spring, carp in summer, madarin fish in autumn and bream in winter. A number of bases producing farm, animal busbandry and side- line products for export have been set up in the suburbs of Nanchang.

    Nangchang is also a rising industrial city. Over the past 30 years its urban area has been expanded fivefold. Today, there are 2 ,400 modern factories and enterprises in metallurgy, machinery, aviation, electronics, textile, chemical industry, building materials, medicine, foodstuffs, paper-making and printing. Over 180 varieties of products in 9 categories and 480 designs are sold at home and overseas market. In recent years Nanchang has signed a number of joint- venture projects with firms from 14 countries and regions. More are expected.

    Nanchang has 14 institutions of higher learning, 97 scientific research institutions and over 20,000 technical personnel. A transport and communication network by land, water and air has taken shape. Beijing and other big cities can be reached by train and plane. A programme- controled telephone system of 10, 000 routes has been installed. Nanchang is one of China's 10 cities offering the best telephone service.

    Today, an increasing number of overseas Chinese, compatriots from Hongkong, Macao and Taiwan, and foreigners come to tour Nanchang, visit their relatives, or friends, and do business.

    Nanchang, a historical cultural city, has great potentials and will grow even more rapidly.